U.S. patent application number 14/512079 was filed with the patent office on 2015-01-22 for mobile set top box.
The applicant listed for this patent is MV3 Partners LLC. Invention is credited to Jared E. Abbruzzese.
Application Number | 20150026753 14/512079 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 42286530 |
Filed Date | 2015-01-22 |
United States Patent
Application |
20150026753 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Abbruzzese; Jared E. |
January 22, 2015 |
Mobile Set Top Box
Abstract
A system is provided in which IP or media content residing on or
being streamed to a mobile phone is forwarded to a display. The
media content supports a native resolution of the mobile phone that
is significantly smaller than a native resolution of said display.
The system has media content processing circuitry, which up-scales
the media content to the display native resolution. The system
forwards the up-scaled media content to the display, whereby the
display provides the up-scaled media content to a viewer.
Inventors: |
Abbruzzese; Jared E.;
(Jupiter, FL) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
MV3 Partners LLC |
Lake Worth |
FL |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
42286530 |
Appl. No.: |
14/512079 |
Filed: |
October 10, 2014 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
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12576391 |
Oct 9, 2009 |
8863223 |
|
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14512079 |
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61142190 |
Dec 31, 2008 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
725/133 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04N 21/47202 20130101;
H04N 21/440218 20130101; H04N 21/41407 20130101; G11B 5/584
20130101; H04N 21/43637 20130101; H04N 21/440263 20130101; H04N
21/482 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
725/133 |
International
Class: |
H04N 21/414 20060101
H04N021/414; H04N 21/4402 20060101 H04N021/4402; H04N 21/4363
20060101 H04N021/4363 |
Claims
1. A system in which media content residing on or being streamed to
a mobile computing device is forwarded to a display; the media
content supporting a native resolution of said mobile computing
device that is significantly smaller than a native resolution of
said display; the system comprising: media content processing
circuitry, said processing circuitry including: (a) up-scaling
means for up-scaling said media content to said display native
resolution; and (b) forwarding means for forwarding said up-scaled
media content to said display, whereby said display provides said
up-scaled media content to a viewer.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser.
No. 12/576,391, filed Oct. 9, 2009, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,863,223,
and claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No.
61/142,190, filed on Dec. 31, 2008. The disclosures of both of
these applications are incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention
[0003] The invention described herein relates to a mobile set top
box for receiving content and reformatting for and sending to a
display the content for viewing.
[0004] 2. Background of the Prior Art
[0005] Television and internet users access content available over
cable, satellite and Internet networks. Each of those networks
transmits content over the networks and allows the users to view
the content on a television or computer screens.
[0006] With respect to televisions, television users commonly
access content using a set top box. The box is a dedicated
computing device that serves as an interface between a display and
a broadband network. A common set top box is a cable or satellite
set top box found in homes with a cable or satellite television
connection. The set top box receives a television signal over the
cable lines or from a satellite dish, reformats the data in the
signal and sends to a television the data for display by the
television. The set top box also allows a television viewer to
access content such as on-screen programming guides, interactive
content such as home or auto advertisements, games or on-demand
movies.
[0007] Set top boxes, however, have limitations. For example, set
top boxes can be used only with the network that provides the
boxes. For example, a set top box provided by Verizon FIOS can not
be used on a Comcast cable network. Moreover, content output from
set top boxes can only be viewed on devices which are capable of
receiving TV signals.
[0008] With respect to computers, Internet users commonly access
content using a desktop or laptop computer. While Internet access
points are available in many locations, many computer users will
not transport their desktop computers between locations. Laptop
computer users often transport their laptops and some laptop users
have a modem card that allows them to access the Internet over a
wireless network such as Verizon's, Sprint's or AT&T's wireless
networks. The laptop computers, however, usually only allow the
users to view the content on the laptop screen or another computer
peripheral.
[0009] Other mobile computing devices such as mobile telephones are
available, but they also have limitations regarding content access.
For example, along with wireless phone service, many wireless
providers such as Verizon, Sprint and AT&T also provide the
ability to access content over the Internet or content from the
providers such as through Verizon's V Cast service.
[0010] Today, a mobile computer device such as a mobile phone, PDA
or Smartphone is the primary device people use to connect
wirelessly. Broadband data cards provided by wireless carriers are
growing in use, but the numbers of such cards are a fraction of the
number of mobile phones being used for voice and data
communications. Although there are many reasons for this, a factor
is the size of the mobile phone/PDA device.
[0011] Various prior art references have attempted to harness the
abilities of known mobile phones. A specific example is
International Publication Number WO 03/032504, for Methods and
Systems of Wireless Communication Between a Remote Data Network and
a Set-Top Box. This publication is directed to the field of
wireless data transmission and reception. The invention disclosed
therein particularly relates to a data transmission and reception
system including systems and methods for using a wireless telephone
to receive and transmit packet signals via a wireless or cellular
network for display on a standard television using a set-top
box.
[0012] The disclosure of this reference is directed to a
location-specific implementation, replacing the distribution
network for traditional set-top boxes in those locations where
there is no wireline system. For example, the reference teaches
that "there is a need for a system that provides Internet access to
areas where landline telephone networks do not exist or are
unreliable."
[0013] A further example is International Publication Number WO
08/136620 for a Method and System for Receiving Digital
Broadcasting by Using Mobile Communication Terminal. The disclosure
is related to "a system and method for receiving digital broadcasts
by using a mobile communication terminal. More particularly, the
invention relates to a system and a method for receiving digital
broadcasts by connecting a digital broadcast receiving device to a
mobile communication terminal so that the mobile communication
terminal replaces circuits of the digital broadcast receiving
device . . . ."
[0014] The disclosure of this reference indicates that its
invention is limited to displaying over-the-air signals on a mobile
terminal. This is accomplished by moving direct digital broadcast
signals (e.g. DBS) that would normally be received by an antenna
and set top box with the same technology.
[0015] Mobile computing devices have limitations not recognized in
the cited references. Many mobile computing devices can not be
connected to large display monitors. Furthermore, many wireless
networks have low bandwidth in comparison to Internet, cable or
satellite transmissions systems. Based on available bandwidth
considerations and processing power of a particular mobile
computing device, content transferred to a mobile computing device
is typically sized to fit only the mobile computing device.
[0016] For example, the bandwidth of a mobile phone communicating
over an Enhanced Data GSM Environment (EDGE) network, which is the
protocol utilized by many Smartphones in the United States, is
sufficient to support streaming content encoded for QVGA (Quarter
Video Graphics Array) resolution, which may be the native
resolution for a given Smartphone. However, this bandwidth is not
nearly enough for supporting video at, for example, 1080p
resolution (full HD), which may be the native resolution for a
target display.
[0017] It can be appreciated that streaming low-resolution video
from a cellular phone to an HD-TV has not been a reasonable option.
However, as mobile phones approach global ubiquity, and as 3G and
4G networks as well as WiFi and WiMax begin to proliferate, the
availability of high-speed wireless data transmission networks
anywhere is near.
[0018] Accordingly, there is a need for a mobile set top box that
combines the functionality of a set top box and a mobile
communication system such that content normally available at
discrete locations can be available any time, any where a user
seeks access to such content.
[0019] In addition, there is a further need to enable the mobile
set top box to up-convert content intended for a mobile computer
device, such as a mobile phone, so that the content is properly
viewed on a larger display, such as a large screen HD-TV.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0020] The present inventions solve the aforementioned problems by
providing a mobile set top box that acts as a conduit between
disparate data networks and display devices.
[0021] An object of the invention is to provide a mobile set top
box for gaining access to mobile content through broadband networks
as well as standard over-the-air distribution.
[0022] Another object of the invention is to provide a mobile set
top box that leverages the versatility of the widely accepted
mobile phone/PDAs and, when combined with the mobile phones/PDAs,
is used as an integrator for projection of content and interaction.
This includes leveraging the cell carriers, as well as WiFi, WiMAX,
and MSS (Mobile Satellite Services) networks.
[0023] Another object of the invention is to provide a mobile set
top box which is capable of authenticating a user so that the user
can receive media service.
[0024] Another object of the invention to provide a mobile set top
box which has the ability to receive programming information via a
cellular or other network, receive a selection of real time or
stored video and audio from a user, and perform up-conversions to
display the media configured for a mobile computing device, such as
a cellular phone, on a large screen HD-TV.
[0025] Another object of the invention is to provide a mobile set
top box which receives, as an intermediate component, video and
audio received from cellular or other networks.
[0026] Another object of the invention is to provide a mobile set
top box which enables a user to "surf channels".
[0027] In addition to decoding and rendering broadcast TV signals,
another object of the invention is to provide a mobile set top box
which is capable of processing video-on-demand (VOD), Electronic
Program Guide (EPG), digital rights management (DRM), and a variety
of interactive and multimedia services.
[0028] More specifically, a system is provided in which media
content residing on or being streamed to a mobile phone is
forwarded to a display. The media content supports a native
resolution of the mobile phone that is significantly smaller than a
native resolution of said display. The system has media content
processing circuitry, which up-scales the media content to the
display native resolution. The system forwards the up-scaled media
content to the display, whereby the display provides the up-scaled
media content to a viewer.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
[0029] The accompanying drawings illustrate the inventions
described herein and, together with the Detailed Description below,
help to describe the inventions. The reference numerals in the
drawings refer to the same or like elements and are used in the
Detailed Description to refer to the same or like elements. Below
are brief descriptions of the drawings:
[0030] FIG. 1 illustrates an overview of the disclosed embodiment
of the invention;
[0031] FIG. 2 illustrates an implementation of the disclosed
embodiment of the invention in which the mobile set top box and the
docking station are two disparate devices, as compared with
implementations, within the scope of the invention, in which they
are combined;
[0032] FIG. 3 further illustrates the implementation of the
disclosed embodiment of the invention; and
[0033] FIG. 4 illustrates additional features which can implemented
in accordance with the disclosed embodiment of the invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS
[0034] FIG. 1 depicts a concept used in the present inventions. A
mobile set top box 10 serves as an intermediate device between
disparate transmission networks 12 and disparate display devices
14. Using the mobile set top box 10, users will access content from
content providers over the transmission networks 12 and then use
the mobile set top box 10 to display on disparate displays 14 the
content.
[0035] The mobile set top box 10 can have access to one or various
communication networks, and can be capable of processing protocols
provided over such networks, such as the networks and protocols
listed in Appendix A, attached hereto. For example, properly
configured, a mobile communication device can have access to data
distributed via systems implementing ATSC technologies, IP
technologies, satellite technologies and/or WiFi technologies.
[0036] In addition, unlike traditional set top boxes, the present
inventions can reformat content to fit any display. The mobile set
top box 10 is capable of determining the size format of the content
received by the mobile set top box 10, the size format capable of
being displayed by the display device 14, and performing proper up-
or down-conversions for properly displaying the content on the
display device 14.
[0037] That is, the mobile set top box 10 processes data meant for
any size mobile computing device 10, such as a mobile phone with a
three inch screen, i.e., the native resolution for the computing
device 10, such that the content is capable of being properly
viewed on any visual display, i.e., the native resolution for the
display device 14, such as a large screen HD-TV, a computer monitor
or a projector.
[0038] In other words, the mobile set top box 10 is capable of
navigating the full matrix of all forms of transmission signals,
all for ms of protocols provided by the transmissions (many of
which are listed in Appendix A) and all forms of display types.
[0039] Moreover, up-scaling video from a mobile phone can be
accomplished utilizing, for example, the "single frame super
resolution LSI `.mu.PD9245GJ` chip", available from NEC
Corporation, which is capable of up-scaling image data from, e.g.,
QVGA resolution, typically found on a mobile phone, to SXGA (Super
eXtended Graphics Array) and large screen HD (High Definition
Television) resolutions.
[0040] While the descriptions above and below illustrate the
present inventions in connection with a mobile phone, one of skill
in the art will understand the present inventions can be applied in
other scenarios. For example, one of skill in the art will
understand the present inventions can be applied to other mobile
computing devices such as laptop computers or GPS devices.
[0041] FIG. 2 illustrates an implementation of the present
inventions. The mobile set top box 10 is illustrated as a mobile
phone 20 and a docking station 22. As illustrated, the cellular
phone 20 merely passes information to the docking station 22 and is
controlled by the docking station 22. However, the functionality of
the mobile set top box 10 can be in either device. In addition, the
mobile phone 20 and docking station 22 can be combined into one
device. Furthermore, the display 14 is illustrated as a standard
television.
[0042] As illustrated, media signals 12 from the user's cellular
provider are sent to the user's mobile phone 20 and thereafter
communicated to the docking station 22. The protocols which are
provided over typical networks and which the mobile phone 20 is
capable of receiving include, for example MediaFLO (Forward Link
Only), DVB-H (Digital Video Broadcasting--Handheld), DVB-SH
(Digital Video Broadcasting--Satellite services to Handhelds), and
HSPA (High Speed Packet Access). Furthermore, the mobile phone 20
is capable of communicating over various networks, such as 3G,
satellite, etc. Other applicable protocols and communication
networks are listed in Appendix A, attached hereto.
[0043] Furthermore, converting 3GP, the multimedia container format
defined by the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) for 3G
UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System) multimedia
services to other video formats, such as MPEG-4, and/or between any
of the formats listed in Appendix A, can be performed in the mobile
set top box 10 through the use of readily available software and/or
hardware encoders.
[0044] FIG. 2 depicts a sample protocol stack 24 that can be
received and processed by a video card 26 within the docking
station 22. The stack 24 includes MPEG Video 28, 30 RTP (Real-time
Transport Protocol) packets, UDP (User Datagram Protocol) packets
32, IP (Internet Protocol) packets 34, DVB-H data 36. Other layers
of a typical protocol stack, while not expressly listed, are
implicit therein. The IP packets can be transmitted via multicast
type broadcasts, and/or unicasts such as "On Demand Video".
[0045] On the output side of the docking station 22, video can be
transmitted to the TV in various formats, such as DVI (Digital
Visual Interface), HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface),
DisplayPort, S-Video (Separated Video). As indicated, the docking
station 22 performs proper up-conversions of the content before
transmitting the content to the TV so that the content is properly
viewed on the TV regardless of how it was received by the docking
station 22.
[0046] FIG. 3 illustrates another embodiment of the present
inventions. There are various sources of existing content 38 which
provide feeds for TV programming, live events, movie downloads,
video sharing websites such as Youtube. The content is transmitted
to the mobile phone 20 via the various telecommunication networks
illustrated in FIG. 2 and discussed above.
[0047] The mobile phone 20 and television 14 are connected via the
docking station 22 as illustrated in FIG. 2 and discussed above.
The docking station 22 determines the video display characteristics
capable of being provided by the phone 20, i.e., its native
resolution, and type of video display characteristics capable of
being displayed by the television 14, i.e., its native resolution,
which can be far greater than the native resolution for the phone
20. Upon receiving content from the networks, the mobile phone 20
transfers the information to the docking station 22, which
up-scales the content and displays the content on the television
14.
[0048] FIG. 4 illustrates another embodiment of the present
inventions. The system 12 can include a content manager 42 which
receives all information from the various content sources 38 and
organizes the information for downstream viewing on the television
14 by the user. That is, the content manager 42 organizes content
distributed over the various networks 40 and provides, for example,
a program guide, remote control functionality, and, if needed,
content filtering.
[0049] In use, a standard mobile phone supporting the relevant
mobile networks will have a display to allow the user to navigate
available content and select content. When the phone attaches to
the disclosed docking station it thereafter may be connected to any
of a number of devices.
[0050] At that point, the phone or docking station will accept
external power enabling it to support a second, more capable
processor and video controller. The docking station will take the
output of the phone and allow it to connect to a television, data
terminal or other external device. In the embodiment in which the
handset and docking station are integrated, no such connection is
necessary.
[0051] The mobile phone can connect to the docking station through
a wired or wireless connection. Likewise, the disclosed docking
station can connect to an external display system both wired and
wirelessly. As previously indicated, in the embodiment in which the
handset and docking station are integrated, no such connection is
necessary.
[0052] Accordingly, the disclosed mobile set top box meets the
objects of the invention by being capable of: [0053] a. gaining
access to mobile content through broadband networks; [0054] b.
leveraging the versatility of the widely accepted mobile phone/PDAs
which, when combined with the mobile phone/PDAs, is used as an
integrator for projection of content and interaction; [0055] c.
authenticating a user so that the user can receive media service;
[0056] d. receiving programming information via a cellular or other
network, receiving a selection of real time or stored video and
audio from a user, and performing up-scaling for displaying the
media configured for a mobile computing device, such as a cellular
phone, on a large screen HD-TV. [0057] e. serving as an
intermediate component for receiving video and audio from cellular
or other networks; [0058] f. enabling a user to "surf channels";
and [0059] g. processing video-on-demand (VOD), Electronic Program
Guide (EPG), digital rights management (DRM), and a variety of
interactive and multimedia services.
[0060] In sum, the disclosed mobile set top box acts as a conduit
between disparate data networks and media devices--televisions,
interactive terminals, etc., extending internet access and video
content to those devices.
[0061] The purpose of the foregoing description of the is to
provide illustrations of the inventions described herein. The
foregoing description is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit
the inventions to the precise forms disclosed. One of skill in the
art will obviously understand many modifications and variations are
possible in light of the above principles. The foregoing
description explains those principles and examples of their
practical application.
* * * * *